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Decision at Delphi
Just another routine overseas assignment. That's what successful young New York architect Ken Strang thought when a national travel magazine sent him to Europe to sketch Greek ruins.
What he did not know, until it was too late, was that from the moment he boarded the ship, he had become the pawn in a murderous game of international intrigue.
To Strang, danger was no object. He could take care of himself, but he had reckoned without Cecilia, his beautiful photographer. When he fell in love with her, he gave his enemies the one weapon they needed.
“The scenes of adventure and detection are set deep in a solidly conceived background of Greek life and landscape.” - Sunday Telegraph
“High adventure and a Hitchcock-like suspense ... A non-stop read.” - Evening News
“The hallmarks of a MacInnes novel of suspense are as individual and as clearly stamped as a Hitchcock thriller.” -The New York Times
“The queen of spy writers.” -Sunday Express
“Helen MacInnes can hang up her cloak and dagger right there with Eric Ambler and Graham Greene.” - Newsweek
“More class than most adventure writers accumulate in a lifetime.” - Chicago Daily News
“Helen MacInnes is totally original. No-one writing today creates more realistic, more credible characters than she does.” - Alistair MacLean
What he did not know, until it was too late, was that from the moment he boarded the ship, he had become the pawn in a murderous game of international intrigue.
To Strang, danger was no object. He could take care of himself, but he had reckoned without Cecilia, his beautiful photographer. When he fell in love with her, he gave his enemies the one weapon they needed.
“The scenes of adventure and detection are set deep in a solidly conceived background of Greek life and landscape.” - Sunday Telegraph
“High adventure and a Hitchcock-like suspense ... A non-stop read.” - Evening News
“The hallmarks of a MacInnes novel of suspense are as individual and as clearly stamped as a Hitchcock thriller.” -The New York Times
“The queen of spy writers.” -Sunday Express
“Helen MacInnes can hang up her cloak and dagger right there with Eric Ambler and Graham Greene.” - Newsweek
“More class than most adventure writers accumulate in a lifetime.” - Chicago Daily News
“Helen MacInnes is totally original. No-one writing today creates more realistic, more credible characters than she does.” - Alistair MacLean
448 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 22, 2012
78 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
About the author
Helen MacInnes
61 books253 followersHelen MacInnes was a Scottish-American author of espionage novels. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in Scotland in 1928 with a degree in French and German. A librarian, she married Professor Gilbert Highet in 1932 and moved with her husband to New York in 1937 so he could teach classics at Columbia University. She wrote her first novel, Above Suspicion, in 1939. She wrote many bestselling suspense novels and became an American citizen in 1951.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 16, 2020
3.33 stars. Helen MacInnes is a great weaver of spy stories set during the aftermath of WWII and the Cold War era. In this 1960 novel, set in Greece, American architect/artist Ken Strang gets involved in some plotting by nihilists and communists to cause civil disturbances in Greece and the surrounding countries. Ken's new love interest gets involved as well, causing him huge consternation.
It got a little too long-winded for me, although it kept me interested enough to read it within 2-3 days (when I should have been reading other stuff). Like MacInnes' other books, this one is very steeped in the social mores of the 50's and 60's, including everyone running around in suits and ties/dresses, and rampant sexism. Let's just say, women's liberation is just barely starting to become a thing. For a book written by a woman, it certainly took the man's point of view. That was kind of a head-shaker for me.
October 2020 buddy read with the Retro Reads group.
It got a little too long-winded for me, although it kept me interested enough to read it within 2-3 days (when I should have been reading other stuff). Like MacInnes' other books, this one is very steeped in the social mores of the 50's and 60's, including everyone running around in suits and ties/dresses, and rampant sexism. Let's just say, women's liberation is just barely starting to become a thing. For a book written by a woman, it certainly took the man's point of view. That was kind of a head-shaker for me.
October 2020 buddy read with the Retro Reads group.
November 7, 2020
I didn't love this book as much as I did when I was younger (when it was my favourite MacInnes title)
This probably isn't this book's fault,
I worked the New Zealand elections which left me exhausted. (but proud to have been part of the process)
I have changed as a reader & now rarely enjoy longer books.
& this one was a slow starter with artist Kenneth Strang taking a leisurely boat trip from the States to Greece to execute a commission for a a magazine. Not only is the magazine paying for an artist to sketch various historic buildings - they are also paying for a photographer. Strang is certainly surprised when the photographer, Steve Kladas, without telling Strang, adds a mysterious small case to Strang's luggage.
& so the adventure begins.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The book is extremely talky, talky at first, all the action at first moves at the speed of concrete.
This changes the more the book progresses & I enjoyed learning about this period of history in Greece. (the book is set in the late 1950s)
Not a spoiler to say there is a magnificent finale at Delphi.
Recommended for patient readers who can give this book the time and concentration it deserves.
This probably isn't this book's fault,
I worked the New Zealand elections which left me exhausted. (but proud to have been part of the process)
I have changed as a reader & now rarely enjoy longer books.
& this one was a slow starter with artist Kenneth Strang taking a leisurely boat trip from the States to Greece to execute a commission for a a magazine. Not only is the magazine paying for an artist to sketch various historic buildings - they are also paying for a photographer. Strang is certainly surprised when the photographer, Steve Kladas, without telling Strang, adds a mysterious small case to Strang's luggage.
& so the adventure begins.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The book is extremely talky, talky at first, all the action at first moves at the speed of concrete.
This changes the more the book progresses & I enjoyed learning about this period of history in Greece. (the book is set in the late 1950s)
Not a spoiler to say there is a magnificent finale at Delphi.
Recommended for patient readers who can give this book the time and concentration it deserves.
October 19, 2020
This was the very first book by MacInnes that I read--way back in 1962 or '63. I loved it and became a fan, but re-read it only once or twice. So, when it came time to read it with the Retro Reads group it was like reading it for the first time: I couldn't remember a thing about the plot, the characters. Nada.
I enjoyed my reintroduction. MacInnes was a master at placing the story in the current moment--which, in this case, was Greece in the late 1950s. WWII had ended barely 15 years earlier and actions that happened during the war were still bearing fruit in certain circles. The conspiracy that our American hero finds himself embroiled in has its roots in the war, but is being nurtured by reactions to the presence of the Communist bloc of countries in the Balkans. The conspiracy MacInnes presents is very plausible and the pressure for the 'good guys' to foil the 'baddies' is palpable. The sense of urgency is real.
I really liked Ken Strang, the American who gets sucked into the action almost against his will. I also liked Cecilia Hilliard, the American photographer who is assigned to work with Ken by their mutual employer, who becomes his sweetheart. (I did roll my eyes a bit at the 'insta-love', btw). There's a wide cast of characters, good and bad, who are nicely fleshed out.
The plot has a lot of twists and turns; with a lot of talking balanced by some terrific action sequences.
(As an aside, it is rather melancholy to realize that the important 'current events' that MacInnes mined for her story have been forgotten by most who read of them; they have been superseded by 60 years' worth of equally important 'current events'.)
This is not my favorite by MacInnes, but I am glad I was nudged to re-read it.
I enjoyed my reintroduction. MacInnes was a master at placing the story in the current moment--which, in this case, was Greece in the late 1950s. WWII had ended barely 15 years earlier and actions that happened during the war were still bearing fruit in certain circles. The conspiracy that our American hero finds himself embroiled in has its roots in the war, but is being nurtured by reactions to the presence of the Communist bloc of countries in the Balkans. The conspiracy MacInnes presents is very plausible and the pressure for the 'good guys' to foil the 'baddies' is palpable. The sense of urgency is real.
I really liked Ken Strang, the American who gets sucked into the action almost against his will. I also liked Cecilia Hilliard, the American photographer who is assigned to work with Ken by their mutual employer, who becomes his sweetheart. (I did roll my eyes a bit at the 'insta-love', btw). There's a wide cast of characters, good and bad, who are nicely fleshed out.
The plot has a lot of twists and turns; with a lot of talking balanced by some terrific action sequences.
(As an aside, it is rather melancholy to realize that the important 'current events' that MacInnes mined for her story have been forgotten by most who read of them; they have been superseded by 60 years' worth of equally important 'current events'.)
This is not my favorite by MacInnes, but I am glad I was nudged to re-read it.
October 22, 2020
It's 1960 and Athens is a hotbed of espionage and intrigue, but Ken Strang doesn't care. He is an architect, and he is in Greece to draw reconstructions of several of the numerous famous ruins scattered throughout the country. However, his friendships with Greek people who belong to different ideological factionsensnare him in a web of conflict he at first finds incomprehensible. He must decide which friend deserves his loyalty, and things are further complicated when he falls head over heels in love with a photographer sent to replace his work partner who is presumed dead.
I enjoyed the suspense and history in this novel, and every time the romance threatened to descend into hopeless slush, the dangerous situation at hand thankfully intervened. The reader spends much of the book trying to sort out who is who, and what each group stands for. The only big drawback to this novel is the sexist attitude common in the time it was written; Ken is generally a likable and interesting person except when he says he doesn't like working with attractive women since the work would interfere with his romantic pursuit of them.
Overall, this is an exciting international thriller. Thanks to everyone in the RetroReads group for featuring this book and introducing me to the author's work.
I enjoyed the suspense and history in this novel, and every time the romance threatened to descend into hopeless slush, the dangerous situation at hand thankfully intervened. The reader spends much of the book trying to sort out who is who, and what each group stands for. The only big drawback to this novel is the sexist attitude common in the time it was written; Ken is generally a likable and interesting person except when he says he doesn't like working with attractive women since the work would interfere with his romantic pursuit of them.
Overall, this is an exciting international thriller. Thanks to everyone in the RetroReads group for featuring this book and introducing me to the author's work.
October 24, 2020
I read this book once upon a time as a teen-ager, and I focused then on the suspense, romance, and the locales that I longed to see one day. I am sure I read the parts about the complex politics of the region and the ever-changing landscape of alliances and betrayals that was partisan fighting during WW II. Fighting the Nazis made for uneasy partnerships which only stopped the fights for political power temporarily. Certain parties would resort to the most inhumane tactics to gain and keep power. All of that was the backdrop for the action in the novel which was published in 1960. Much of all that I do not remember, but I found it interesting this time through as I have studied politics and history since then, and lived a life where the interactions of countries dictated actions in my work life.
I re-read it with enjoyment, read it quickly, found I was just in the mood for it. It is, perhaps, not in my top tier of Helen MacInnes books, but anything by her is worth reading & re-reading. She captured her time well. My son very much enjoyed her books written as we were on the brink of WW II, the immediacy of the tension, of the unknown, of the looming darkness all came to life. This captured a later, more confusing era, but she does an excellent job conveying that time as well. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Highly recommended.
I re-read it with enjoyment, read it quickly, found I was just in the mood for it. It is, perhaps, not in my top tier of Helen MacInnes books, but anything by her is worth reading & re-reading. She captured her time well. My son very much enjoyed her books written as we were on the brink of WW II, the immediacy of the tension, of the unknown, of the looming darkness all came to life. This captured a later, more confusing era, but she does an excellent job conveying that time as well. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Highly recommended.
October 25, 2020
The year is 1958; a prestigious architectural magazine is sending Ken Strang to Sicily and Greece to draw reconstructions of ancient Greek buildings, to be accompanied by photographs of the buildings’ ruins as they appear in the present. Ah, already I wax sentimental about the golden age of magazines, when they had the readership and advertising to commission such expensive projects! Those days are long gone.
And the world evoked by Decision at Delphi is also long gone, because Strang and his photographer partner find themselves enmeshed in a complicated plot involving Communists, anarchists, nihilists, and unresolved enmities left over from World War II. The action begins in New York, where a young Greek woman issues an obscure warning directed at the photographer, Steve Kladas; then it moves to Taormina, where Strang meets up with a man he knew in Greece during the war, and where Kladas goes missing; and thence to Greece, where a new photographer is sent out to replace Kladas. The replacement proves to be a beautiful young woman, and now Strang has both a distraction and someone to protect. Bodies start dropping around them, they are followed and threatened and don’t know whom to trust, and in no time they’re embroiled in a plot to bring about a new global conflict.
Helen MacInnes is a master teller of stories like this, and for all its dated mores—the cigarettes, the “girls” in high heels, the men issuing orders—it is a gripping yarn full of twists and danger and suspense. Oh, and great scenery, right up to the climactic scene in the ruins at Delphi (as you could guess from the title). A little romance to raise the stakes. If you have a taste for time-capsule political thrillers, MacInnes is one of the best. This book is too leisurely in the first half for some modern tastes, but once it picks up momentum it’s hard to put down.
And the world evoked by Decision at Delphi is also long gone, because Strang and his photographer partner find themselves enmeshed in a complicated plot involving Communists, anarchists, nihilists, and unresolved enmities left over from World War II. The action begins in New York, where a young Greek woman issues an obscure warning directed at the photographer, Steve Kladas; then it moves to Taormina, where Strang meets up with a man he knew in Greece during the war, and where Kladas goes missing; and thence to Greece, where a new photographer is sent out to replace Kladas. The replacement proves to be a beautiful young woman, and now Strang has both a distraction and someone to protect. Bodies start dropping around them, they are followed and threatened and don’t know whom to trust, and in no time they’re embroiled in a plot to bring about a new global conflict.
Helen MacInnes is a master teller of stories like this, and for all its dated mores—the cigarettes, the “girls” in high heels, the men issuing orders—it is a gripping yarn full of twists and danger and suspense. Oh, and great scenery, right up to the climactic scene in the ruins at Delphi (as you could guess from the title). A little romance to raise the stakes. If you have a taste for time-capsule political thrillers, MacInnes is one of the best. This book is too leisurely in the first half for some modern tastes, but once it picks up momentum it’s hard to put down.
February 11, 2010
This book was published in the '50s or '60s, so I loved the descriptions of clothes and the way they talked to each other and the little 'romance' in it.
I had a really hard time getting the writer's style at first, and some of the references and jokes strengthened my belief that people used to be smarter than we are now.... but the quips assured me that it was a book with building suspense, so I held on.
It ended up being a great story, mystery and intrigue and action mixed with lots of Greek culture and architecture. I just recently listened to a lecture series about classical mythology, so that was interesting to me right now as well.
I had a really hard time getting the writer's style at first, and some of the references and jokes strengthened my belief that people used to be smarter than we are now.... but the quips assured me that it was a book with building suspense, so I held on.
It ended up being a great story, mystery and intrigue and action mixed with lots of Greek culture and architecture. I just recently listened to a lecture series about classical mythology, so that was interesting to me right now as well.
March 13, 2017
CONTENT: A lot of swearing (read with permanent marker in hand), and some brief, brutal descriptions of violence. Thematic elements like good guys dying.
Worth editing - AMAZING.
Worth editing - AMAZING.
October 20, 2020
I liked this classic spy novel, but didn't love it. I found it pretty confusing when there were so many political factions (Communists, Fascists, Nihilists) and so many double-crosses going on. The action definitely picked up in the last third, and it had a thrilling climax.
Helen McInnes is brilliant, though, and she had some great passages. This one, I thought, summed up the way some European countries did (and do) view North Americans (and Brits):
"Yes, the Americans and the British were alike in some things. They were surface people, skimming over past history, picking out the interpretations that pleased them, never digging deep for the truths that could warn them. When they found something unpleasant, they would forget it within six months. They even prided themselves on not remembering; forget and forgive were so much easier. They evaded serious ideas, unless they approved of them. The British put their faith in compromise, the Americans in doling out largesse; by wheedling and bribing, they thought they could avoid ever having to answer the only real question in life: Who, whom? But they had never been conquered, never been occupied, never had their men carted away as slave labourers, never witnessed mass rape, never watched their children being turned into their enemies. That was their great weakness: they had merely existed while others had survived. How fortunate for the cause of world revolution, with all its varied forces remembering the bitter taste of their survivals, that the two most powerful nations in the Western clique should have had no experience in Realpolitik. It would not be difficult to bury them, not when they helped so obligingly to dig their own graves."
Helen McInnes is brilliant, though, and she had some great passages. This one, I thought, summed up the way some European countries did (and do) view North Americans (and Brits):
"Yes, the Americans and the British were alike in some things. They were surface people, skimming over past history, picking out the interpretations that pleased them, never digging deep for the truths that could warn them. When they found something unpleasant, they would forget it within six months. They even prided themselves on not remembering; forget and forgive were so much easier. They evaded serious ideas, unless they approved of them. The British put their faith in compromise, the Americans in doling out largesse; by wheedling and bribing, they thought they could avoid ever having to answer the only real question in life: Who, whom? But they had never been conquered, never been occupied, never had their men carted away as slave labourers, never witnessed mass rape, never watched their children being turned into their enemies. That was their great weakness: they had merely existed while others had survived. How fortunate for the cause of world revolution, with all its varied forces remembering the bitter taste of their survivals, that the two most powerful nations in the Western clique should have had no experience in Realpolitik. It would not be difficult to bury them, not when they helped so obligingly to dig their own graves."
June 30, 2013
The book dates from 1960 and deals with the fall-out of WWII and the subsequent civil war in Greece. Kenneth Sprang is illustrating an article about Greek temples, and is looking forward to visiting Athens again for the first time since he spent a terrible winter there chasing the Nazis as a US soldier. The photographer for the article, Greek-born Steve Kladas, is supposed to fly out earlier and meet up with him in Europe. And so it begins. Why did Steve ask Ken to take care of one of his suitcases? Who is the poor little rich girl who wanted to warn Steve to stay away from Greece? How come Ken’s old friend from his Athens days pops up so conveniently in Italy ? Why is the pretty wife of the English attaché to the Athens embassy so chatty? Step by step Ken (and the reader) is drawn into a conspiracy that has to do with former Greek partisans, hard-line communists and a cynical nihilist. From a fancy ocean liner to a shepherd’s hut in the Peloponessus, from hotel bars where the expatriate community of Athens meet to a rustic tavern where ouzo is the drink of choice, Ken and his friends chase the ruthless man known as “Odysseus”. It all ends on a mountainside near the archeological site at Delphi..
This is a big, hefty book, ideal for a long plane ride or a few dark winter nights! Especially for those who can't resist a "innocent-bystander-caught-in-a-conspiracy" narrative.
This is a big, hefty book, ideal for a long plane ride or a few dark winter nights! Especially for those who can't resist a "innocent-bystander-caught-in-a-conspiracy" narrative.
May 30, 2017
Innocents Abroad...Kenneth Strang, architectural illustrator, is off another routine assignment--or so he thinks. Lee Preston, editor of Perspectives--a monthly magazine on architecture and the decorative arts, has hired him to sketch Greek classical structures and ruins as they would have been when built. The illustrations will be paired with photographs taken by Strang's regular collaborator Steve (Stefanos) Kladas showing what these buildings currently look like.
But from the moment Strang boards the ocean liner headed for the Mediterranean, nothing goes as planned. A second piece of luggage is added to his baggage...sent along by Kladas and it contains papers and film rolls that Strang needs to keep safe. Then when the architect arrives in Greece, Kladas is behaving oddly. He won't stay at the hotel as planned; he won't even stay put long enough for the two men to discuss their strategy. But Kladas isn't the only one behaving oddly--Strang's old friend Alexander Christophorou is also being secretive while also giving Strang nebulous warnings about other Americans and Englishmen in the city. There's a rich young Greek woman who tried to ward Kladas to stay away from Greece and someone keeps searching Strang's luggage looking for who knows what.
Things really heat up when Kladas disappears and then is reported dead and Strang finds himself a pawn in a murderous game of international international intrigue with an endgame labelled assassination. He doesn't mind the danger for himself (truth be told he's kind of enjoying the spy in the corner business). But then Preston sends Strang another photographer to take his place. C. L. Hilliard--who not only takes beautiful pictures but is also a beautiful woman disguised behind those masculine-sounding initials. And when they fall in love, Strang finds that he has unwittingly handed the enemy the weapon they needed. How can he keep Kladas's secret safe, rescue the woman he loves, and help prevent the nihilists from wrecking the civilization that has been rebuilding since World War II?
Decision at Delphi (1960) is a gripping espionage thriller with believable characters. Strang served in WWII, so it isn't unexpected that he can handle himself in tight situations. Every character we meet has an interesting backstory that works into the present and MacInnes provides the motives and philosophies of the different factions without making the reader feel like they've sat through a Cold War lecture. There are many historical details necessary to understand the setting and events in late-1950s Greece and MacInnes provides them in a way that keeps the story moving. She also keeps the tension up--making it clear that Strang may well be trusting some of the wrong people, but it is difficult to tell where true loyalties lie is some cases.
Good historical background, beautiful descriptions of the countryside in Greece and the area surrounding Delphi in particular, and compelling characters all combine in an exciting adventure.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
But from the moment Strang boards the ocean liner headed for the Mediterranean, nothing goes as planned. A second piece of luggage is added to his baggage...sent along by Kladas and it contains papers and film rolls that Strang needs to keep safe. Then when the architect arrives in Greece, Kladas is behaving oddly. He won't stay at the hotel as planned; he won't even stay put long enough for the two men to discuss their strategy. But Kladas isn't the only one behaving oddly--Strang's old friend Alexander Christophorou is also being secretive while also giving Strang nebulous warnings about other Americans and Englishmen in the city. There's a rich young Greek woman who tried to ward Kladas to stay away from Greece and someone keeps searching Strang's luggage looking for who knows what.
Things really heat up when Kladas disappears and then is reported dead and Strang finds himself a pawn in a murderous game of international international intrigue with an endgame labelled assassination. He doesn't mind the danger for himself (truth be told he's kind of enjoying the spy in the corner business). But then Preston sends Strang another photographer to take his place. C. L. Hilliard--who not only takes beautiful pictures but is also a beautiful woman disguised behind those masculine-sounding initials. And when they fall in love, Strang finds that he has unwittingly handed the enemy the weapon they needed. How can he keep Kladas's secret safe, rescue the woman he loves, and help prevent the nihilists from wrecking the civilization that has been rebuilding since World War II?
Decision at Delphi (1960) is a gripping espionage thriller with believable characters. Strang served in WWII, so it isn't unexpected that he can handle himself in tight situations. Every character we meet has an interesting backstory that works into the present and MacInnes provides the motives and philosophies of the different factions without making the reader feel like they've sat through a Cold War lecture. There are many historical details necessary to understand the setting and events in late-1950s Greece and MacInnes provides them in a way that keeps the story moving. She also keeps the tension up--making it clear that Strang may well be trusting some of the wrong people, but it is difficult to tell where true loyalties lie is some cases.
Good historical background, beautiful descriptions of the countryside in Greece and the area surrounding Delphi in particular, and compelling characters all combine in an exciting adventure.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
June 16, 2018
A really excellent romantic suspense novel with MacInnes' typically thorough knowledge of history, geography and culture, thrown in. This is the story of an American who served in Greece during WWII returning later to complete a series of sketches of ruins for an architectural magazine. When his photographer resigns, and then is reports dead, our hero becomes embroiled in lies, conspiracies, and evil that challenge his abilities.
I like that the heroes and heroines of these books aren't perfect - they make mistakes, miss things the reader catches and sometimes trust the wrong people. But they aren't dumb either, and as their understanding of the situation grows so does their intelligence and cunning. In this book it's particularly hard to tell who to trust, which kept me worried that our MCs and I were being led astray.
I haven't read MacInnes since I was a girl, and I'm delighted to be able to get her on e-book now so I can enjoy them again. :) 4.5 stars
I like that the heroes and heroines of these books aren't perfect - they make mistakes, miss things the reader catches and sometimes trust the wrong people. But they aren't dumb either, and as their understanding of the situation grows so does their intelligence and cunning. In this book it's particularly hard to tell who to trust, which kept me worried that our MCs and I were being led astray.
I haven't read MacInnes since I was a girl, and I'm delighted to be able to get her on e-book now so I can enjoy them again. :) 4.5 stars
March 18, 2015
I just finished Above Suspicion, which i really liked. This book is supposed to be one of the best by Helen MacInnes so I was looking forward to it, but I found it really disappointing to the point of being unreadable. It didn't have the charm and nice descriptions and characters of Above Suspicion; maybe it gets better later but i found the main character kind of unappealing and didnt' really want to take a long boat trip to Greece with him. And none of the people he was planning to meet up with in Greece seemed very attractive either. And this book has a kind of faux macho tone that I didn't like, and that was very different from Above Suspicion.But, as noted, this is supposed to be one of her best books so, maybe it's just me ...
August 24, 2015
Fun period piece with an expected anti-Communist slant, but also with useful (and at least somewhat accurate) historical background about Greece during WWII and its ensuing civil war.
Not much happened during the first hundred pages, and I kept mixing up the background stories of the characters. But events sped up after that.
Wouldn't you know it, I had never heard of MacInnes before, even though she was just as talented as the boys: Fleming, le Carré, Deighton, and the like. I'd like to read a couple of her others, especially those with a female protagonist. Nice NYT article.
Bought at the Strand: June, 2015
Not much happened during the first hundred pages, and I kept mixing up the background stories of the characters. But events sped up after that.
Wouldn't you know it, I had never heard of MacInnes before, even though she was just as talented as the boys: Fleming, le Carré, Deighton, and the like. I'd like to read a couple of her others, especially those with a female protagonist. Nice NYT article.
Bought at the Strand: June, 2015
June 3, 2007
This book made me realise I definitely enjoyed simple whodunits over complex, politics-based cloak-and-dagger plots! Decision at Delphi is a drawn-out, boring story set in 1950s Greece, where "nihilists" try to destroy their own country in their hunger to take control (of what? I still haven't figured out!), in the aftermath of World War II. It was just too long - only I know how I managed to survive the 448-page tome. At last, I'm free of it - I can now look forward to fast-paced thrillers and mysteries!
July 27, 2010
This is a fun post-WWII spy novel. Set largely in Greece, it throws back to many of the atrocities perpetuated by political extremists in the wake of the Nazis. Of course, it has the requisite romance storyline included, with protective hero, doe-eyed (but intelligent) heroine, and smooth, calculating, nihilist villain. The descriptions of the various parts of the Greek and Italian landscapes and wonder-of-the-world type architecture might set those with wander-lust aflame.
February 4, 2016
First published in 1960 during the Cold War. Here we have the background of the Greek Civil War. An unwitting architect, who is writing some articles on Greek ruins, gets embroiled in espionage. Great plotting. The story really moves along. I had never read her work before and this was a book club selection. I may go back and get more of MacInnes's novels.
June 2, 2008
This is a novel of political intrique, during the cold war era. Helen MacInnes has a wonderful insight into the real proceedings of espionage. Her people and plots are very real and believable. I couldn't put it down.
March 6, 2010
I've read all of Helen MacInnes's books--at least twice. This writer defined the romantic suspense genre before it became overworked and uber violent. No bad books coming from Ms MacInnes. Great reads for WWII/Cold War espionage fans.
April 12, 2020
This is the third espionage thriller I have read by Helen Macinnes and it won't be my last. The story is dated (it was published in 1960), but it is really the descriptions that come alive in her writing.
August 24, 2015
I can totally see why my parents loved this author.
November 8, 2020
Retro Reads group read for October 2020. This is my third Helen MacInnis spy novel and although I did enjoy it, it certainly was not my favorite. I found the beginning rather slow and somewhat confusing since I did not know a great deal about the history of Greece during and following World War II. Since I have been to Greece once, I did enjoy reading about the places that I have visited there. I will certainly read more by her but my favorite of hers remains The Venetian Affair.
April 5, 2021
Good character development and interesting plot. I like that the story is built around historical events.
September 22, 2022
A bit of a slow-burner like a few of her books but definitely worth persevering with as characters develop nicely so that we care when someone is suddenly killed, which happens not infrequently.
The pattern of intelligent resourceful and determined amateur becoming involved with European events beyond his/her understanding or control is McInnes’ hallmark; in this case New York architect turned illustrator, Ken Strang, is off to Italy and Greece with his colleague, a photographer in order to prepare pictures for a periodical. The problem is that the (Greek-American) photographer has a history of banditry in Greece during WW2 and there are individuals involved with potential revolution that won’t welcome his return. Strang is plunged into events beyond his control but with the help of Athens police and counter-intelligence is able to discover the ringleader. That’s where the difficulties begin.
McInnes writes beautifully and descriptively - particularly of buildings I notice the architecture of Taormina, The Acropolis and the Temple at Delphi - and her characters aren’t far behind.
At 600 pages it’s quite a commitment - but we’ll worth investing a few hours of your precious time.
The pattern of intelligent resourceful and determined amateur becoming involved with European events beyond his/her understanding or control is McInnes’ hallmark; in this case New York architect turned illustrator, Ken Strang, is off to Italy and Greece with his colleague, a photographer in order to prepare pictures for a periodical. The problem is that the (Greek-American) photographer has a history of banditry in Greece during WW2 and there are individuals involved with potential revolution that won’t welcome his return. Strang is plunged into events beyond his control but with the help of Athens police and counter-intelligence is able to discover the ringleader. That’s where the difficulties begin.
McInnes writes beautifully and descriptively - particularly of buildings I notice the architecture of Taormina, The Acropolis and the Temple at Delphi - and her characters aren’t far behind.
At 600 pages it’s quite a commitment - but we’ll worth investing a few hours of your precious time.
May 15, 2015
Again, a first-class international espionage novel set in the 1950's 0r 1960's, involving those who hide amongst the citizens (it could be any nation, but this setting is in Greece), with the sole aim of destroying what they hold in contempt, and being willing to do anything it takes, kill anyone who gets in their way, or with whom they have a disagreement with, even their own colleagues, when they no longer can get what they want and their usefulness has come to an end. Even tho' the setting is set in "ancient" history, to younger readers, the ideas presented and the patterns the "barbarians" use are as old as Time itself, and it's repeated over and over and over again, even in our own day.
In my view, Helen MacInnes will always be in the top 5 authors of this genre, no matter how many years, decades, etc. pass away since she died. Even at the end of her career, she was up-to-date with the trends of the times in the methods used by "barbarians" who want to undermine, control and destroy for their own good-and the "heck" with what anyone else wants.
In my view, Helen MacInnes will always be in the top 5 authors of this genre, no matter how many years, decades, etc. pass away since she died. Even at the end of her career, she was up-to-date with the trends of the times in the methods used by "barbarians" who want to undermine, control and destroy for their own good-and the "heck" with what anyone else wants.
April 26, 2023
I'm giving this a weak three stars. Ken Strang travels to Sicily and Greece on a magazine assignment to draw and write about classical ruins. His accompanying photographer, Steve, turns out to be of interest to certain terrorist elements, dating back to his activities as a guerilla fighter after WWII. The terrorists are planning major attacks, Steve disappears, and Ken is drawn into the resulting intrigue. At the same time, Ken meets and falls in love with Steve's beautiful replacement photographer, Cecelia, who naturally also falls into danger by association with Ken. Set largely in post WWII Greece, the story plays out against the conflict between Communists and Greek patriots, as the Greek security apparatus works to uncover and thwart the terrorist plot. Ken and Cecilia endure narrow escapes and many hardships; you can guess the ending. I wanted to like the book. It had some good spy/counter spy moments, but it was too long and dwelt too much on goopy Ken/Cecelia love scenes.
June 24, 2013
As suggested by the title, this one takes place in Greece. From the opening scene of a farewell party in NYC on board the cruise ship about to take the hero off to Napoli to the climactic ending amongst the ruins of Delphi, once again MacInnes' locale descriptions put you there. I recognized so much of what she described in Athens and Delphi from my own travels, including the magic of the Acropolis.
April 6, 2016
Dense, fascinating "thriller" set in the late 1950s in Greece. First published in 1961. it's just got so much more historic and politic depth than most contemporary thrillers even thought there is also the traditional love story as well. mcInnes is not as subtle as writers Le Carre but she does her research well.
October 30, 2012
A post WWII spy novel set in Greece. It was interesting and not extremely violent, learned a bit about Greece after the Nazis. But there wasn't as much information as I hoped about ancient Greece, or archeology, considering the setting and title. Could have at least thrown an oracle in there!
August 18, 2013
Very dated book. Political thriller that belonged to my dad. All about anarchists hiding in Greece. These just don't age well. I mostly read it because it belonged to Dad and he kept it all this time. But it was falling apart, so I had to get rid of it after I finished it.
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